International students

Before you apply

Our International Recruitment Team can provide advice about:

• your application,
• the admissions process,
• programme details,
• entry requirements,
• international qualifications,
• scholarships and funding opportunities.

Our country-specific information will help you decide if you have the right qualifications for your programme.

Visas

Our Student Visas Team can help you with any queries relating to obtaining and complying with your visa. You can also find out more about the costs associated with applying for a visa and requirements for sponsored students.

Please note: part-time study is only open to international students who already have the correct immigration permission to be in the UK. Student visas are not usually issued for part-time study in the UK.

We use the verification service Qualification Check to support our CAS issuance process. Some applicants may be asked to provide their qualifications to Qualification Check for verification before we can issue a CAS. We will contact you by email if this step is required.

We also ask applicants who have previously studied in the UK to provide their eVisa share code when they apply to speed up our CAS checks if we issue an offer to study with us. 

Language requirements

You need to achieve a certain level of English to qualify for a place on your chosen programme.

Different programmes need different levels of English language skills. We refer to these skill levels as 'profiles'. You can see the profiles on each programme page. The qualifications you need for each profile are on the profile pages.

You do not need a GMAT (Graduate Management Admissions Test) score for any application to the University of Bristol.

English language programmes

The Centre for Academic Language and Development offers pre-sessional courses for students preparing for postgraduate study. Our pre-sessional courses in English for Academic Purposes are open to those who have an offer from the University and are delivered online or on-campus.

The course you choose will depend on your existing language level and the terms of your offer. Find out which pre-sessional course you would need to take.

How to apply

Use our online system to make your application and find out more about the application process.

Applying with the help of a representative

The University has agreements with education representatives, or agents, around the world. They can help you with your study application and offer guidance on many other steps in enrolling at university. You can find a list of the approved representatives we work with on our country-specific pages.

Using a representative does not put you at any advantage or disadvantage when decisions are made about your application. We give equal consideration to independent applications and applications made using a representative.

Please use the services of only one representative to avoid administrative complications. We strongly advise you to only work with a representative listed on our webpages. Please note that official representatives of the University of Bristol receive a commission payment for their services supporting incoming international students. The University does not pay commission to agents representing students receiving US federal loans.

If you have any complaint or feedback about your experience with our education representatives, please contact us at international-office@bristol.ac.uk.

The British Council have produced an online guide for students to support you in choosing an education agent.

Applying via the Global Transfer Programme

The University of Bristol maintains important partnerships with a number of world-leading universities around the world. If you are studying an eligible degree at one of our partner universities, you can apply to transfer your studies to Bristol through our Global Transfer Programme.

Applications made via our Global Transfer Programme are processed using a quick, streamlined admission route.

To check whether you are eligible and how to apply, visit our Global Transfer Programme webpages.

After you apply

We have guidance and support available to you from the moment you accept an offer of a place right through to your enrolment at Bristol. Read more about what happens after you apply for a postgraduate programme.

In September each year, the University organises a programme of welcome events to help you settle into university life and explore the opportunities available to you during your studies.